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Today Open today 11–8

8" Measurement

A work made of black fiber-tipped pen on white wove graph paper.

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  • A work made of black fiber-tipped pen on white wove graph paper.

Date:

1969

Artist:

Mel Bochner
American, born 1940

About this artwork

Perhaps the most striking piece in the Stenn Collection is 8” Measurement, a work that many would be hard-pressed to describe as a “drawing.” Although the work’s marks seem to serve an obvious purpose, their true importance lies in the way they extend Mel Bochner’s interest in questioning the veracity of words and images. While the artist’s intention may have been to demarcate eight inches of width (the paper is labeled “8 x 8” in the lower-right corner), the points of the arrows extend past the printed outline of the grid, but not far enough to touch the physical edge of the paper. This piece led to a rich investigative body of work involving measurements, which yielded some of Bochner’s most powerful and influential visual statements.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Mel Bochner

Title

8" Measurement

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1969

Medium

Black fiber-tipped pen on white wove graph paper

Dimensions

27.9 × 21.7 cm (11 × 8 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Irving Stenn Jr. Drawings Collection in memory of Marcia Stenn

Reference Number

2014.1331

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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